Since publication of 1984 over sixty years ago, most educated English speakers are aware of the term “Big Brother.” After all, George Orwell’s classic is required reading in their high schools. “Big Brother” can be defined as a nightmarish totalitarian authority that stifles all individuality and spies on citizens to better control them. The idea of Big Brother continues to frighten people whenever they sense an intrusion in their civil liberties. However, with the aid of new technology, there is an antidote to Big Brother: Little Brother, whose grassroots might trumps his evil older sibling millions of times over. That’s precisely what these three angels represent.
They’re saying that no matter where you are, there is most likely some person recording the event on a handy point-and-shoot camera or cell phone video. In places like Venezuela in 2002, for example, with legitimate news being blocked from the public airwaves by coup conspirators, communication by cell phone was all it took to alert the populace to a military golpe being instigated behind closed doors. Armed with this knowledge, residents of Caracas united and were able to quickly restore their democratically elected government. Little Brother helped change history. We continue to see the strength of Little Brother on the Internet, where citizen on-location information delivery is now the true breaking news.
Let’s never imagine that the political arena is where Little Brother is most engaged. Quite the contrary. Little Brother is enthusiastically facilitating the sharing of personal and family information, as much as we desire.
Gingersnap cookie dancers at the 2:00 matinee of The Nutcracker (12/5/09).
From places like Scotts Valley, California, on a Saturday afternoon, you can join me in watching the performance of one of my former piano students who took part in The Nutcracker, presented by the International Academy of Dance and the Nor-Cal Dance Company. Talented dancers of all ages, innovative choreography, and exceptional costumes. Thanks to the power of Little Brother, you can enjoy some of the show from wherever you are!
